We already have rampant medical marijuana in CO and doctors that will prescribe it for anybody. People share it around with their friends and have pot parties. There are also a lot of stupid criminals trying to break into the dispensaries at night. What is the DEA doing about that?

incidentally, our local lefty indie paper is going gangbusters now. It's expanded and the back half is dominated by medical marijuana ads and news. This free paper is doing a lot better than the local conservative rag you have to pay for.

I wouldn't have thought so, but I recall that question coming up re: illegal aliens in the past.

So what are we going to wind up with here? A brand new federal task force whose sole purpose is to enforce marijuana prohibition in the state of Colorado? That would likely be highly unpopular.

That would be the DEA, they're already there.

The thing to do is for Colorado to do is set this up intelligent. Tell the people:

1. Buy everything you need in Colorado from physical storefronts (avoid using the mail since it is federal or anything that could count as interstate commerce).2. Sell only to people in Colorado and make them sign a form agreeing they aren't going to cross state lines with your product, like how when you buy certain servers you agree not to export them from the USA.3. Pay your taxes so the IRS can't nail you some tax code annoyance al la Capone.

Then wait for the feds to arrest someone and have your AG sue over this. However make sure the test case you deploy don't have anything interstate or other things were the Feds trump you.

downstairs:No one has to enforce any law. Just think of those goofy laws you see all the time from hundreds of years ago like "It is illegal to gargle in public places." I highly doubt any LA police agency enforces this.

Well, police officers do have discretion. There's an older guy in town who must smoke the stuff CONSTANTLY, judging by the fact that every single time I walk by his house, the smell is obvious even from the street. But the police have never been there. He doesn't beat his wife, he doesn't drive under the influence, he just sits at home and smokes his weed and never bothers anyone. That's the type of person who is rarely hassled by police, because quite frankly even if someone did call the police on the count of the smell of it, I doubt that would be reason enough for them to care to investigate. I'm pretty sure that outside of snitches, most people who are arrested for possession of marijuana would be more accurately described as possessing marijuana while committing another crime, or while doing something stupid.

Now That's What I Call a Taco!:I wonder which small town in Colorado with fading economic prospects will decide to become the Pot Tourism capital of the US first. And there's a LOT of old mining towns throughout the state that are trying to get tourism dollars to save the day.

Could be risky for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. But if it's a question of your town dying... somewhere will give it a shot.

Legalized gambling revitalized Cripple Creek and Blackhawk.

I can see Fairplay or Woody Creek or someplace like that doing it. Fairplay has the whole South Park thing going and Woody Creek has the ghost of Hunter Thompson haunting the tavern there. I think he would have approved of Measure 64 but maybe not the commercialization of it.

nekom:BunkyBrewman: The Feds aren't going to be knocking down stoners doors trying to confiscate a few joints.

No, but they likely WILL put the kibosh on any significantly large growing operation.

They haven't shown an inclination to here in Boulder. The city government has been friendly enough to growing operations that they now host a bunch of them for dispensaries in other cities. The mayor's actually grumbled about it because they don't get sales taxes from those businesses. And yet all that's happened is local cops shutting down unlicensed growers and the feds targeting dispensaries too close to schools.

Tom_Slick:So basically the Feds have succeeded in making it impossible to run a legal dispensary.

Enh, it's a constant battle. For awhile they were threatening the CC companies with charges if they let the dispensary take cards. So now every dispensary has an ATM out front. They threatened a lot of the big banks over small business loans, so now the local banks creatively do loans to people in ways that avoid the federal issues.

All pot needs to do for now is survive long enough for the state legislatures to get comfortable with the tax revenue from it and other states to want in on the action.

ha-ha-guy:The theme I'm starting to see is the dispensary is always in the red. However the owner also owns a Party Store, Quik-E-Mart, or something in that vein and the latter is absurdly profitable. So the local guys get their taxes off the pot profit via the owner declaring them as Qik-E-Mart profit. However he income comes in via a method were you can deduct legit tax expenses. It's fraud, but the local and state governments look the other way since they still get the taxes and the IRS is unlikely to come out to North Buttfarkistan, Michigan to trace the actual revenue flow of the gas station and the weed place. The county treasurer could likely easily do it, but he knows whats going on and as long as the owner pays a fair share, the treasurer cashes the check and looks the other way.

So basically the Feds have succeeded in making it impossible to run a legal dispensary.

I wonder which small town in Colorado with fading economic prospects will decide to become the Pot Tourism capital of the US first. And there's a LOT of old mining towns throughout the state that are trying to get tourism dollars to save the day.

Could be risky for all the reasons mentioned in this thread. But if it's a question of your town dying... somewhere will give it a shot.

moefuggenbrew:We were smoking a little on a porch that we thought was nice and secluded in college once. Cop walked by, looked at us, said 'go inside'. We went inside./CSB

Heh that reminds me of a time in college when we were in this shiatty sculpting class where we had to build "functional art". My friend decides to make a hammock, and this was the crappiest thing I've ever seen. Well he had to hang it up in the front yard and take a picture sitting in it for the "functional" part. We ended up getting stoned and forgetting it out there.

About a week later there's a knock on the door, and our next door neighbor (old guy, probably late 60s) asks me to come over. I'm high as a kite and kinda freaking out, but went anyway since my roommates knew where I was going. I'm walking through his house following him, and I'm seeing plaques and pictures of him in a police uniform. Now I'm really freaking out. He walks to the backyard, opens up this case, and pulls out a fully loaded pipe with some stroooong bud in it. He takes a puff and hands it to me. I give him this weird look and he says "Don't worry, I retired about 5 years ago."

Well we ended up talking for a few minutes and he says "Now that I made a peace offering, can you do something for me?" I said sure, what is it? He goes "Can you please get that stupid piece of shiat y'all have hanging in your tree? It just looks awful." I laughed and said no problem. We toked with him a few times after that too.

It will take til Jan. 6th for the vote to be certified and Amendment 64 to become part of the Colorado state constitution. At that point, adults 21 and over may grow six plants and possess up to one oz. There is no chance the feds are gonna step in at the point. It will take until January 2014 for any retail sales to happen via the Amendments retail sales section. THIS is when the Feds might/will step in.

Basically, on Jan. 6th it will be legal for everyone over 21, but it will be at least another year before retail sales happen, if they do. I believe the Feds will leave low volume growers and those in possession alone, but buying joints at a legal, retail pot shop is probably gonna bring Federal enforcement.

I wouldn't have thought so, but I recall that question coming up re: illegal aliens in the past.

So what are we going to wind up with here? A brand new federal task force whose sole purpose is to enforce marijuana prohibition in the state of Colorado? That would likely be highly unpopular.

Probably nothing. Growing hasn't been legalized, and you aren't going to have the DEA rolling in to bust up frat parties.

And interesting and sinister tactic the feds have been enforcing in states with growing operations is using the IRS to deny them tax deductions for ordinary businesses expenses, on the theory that deductions have to be directed toward a lawful enterprise. And they are doing it retroactively, I believe, and sending growers tax bills for those deductions dating back to however long they've been around.